Sovereignty gave owner-breeder Godolphin a second Horse of the Year honor in three years, following in the footsteps of Cody’s Wish’s accolades in 2023. The homebred son of Into Mischief was also named champion 3-year-old male, and his trainer, Bill Mott received his fifth career Eclipse Award. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum’s Godolphin continued his dominance in both the Outstanding Owner and Outstanding Breeder divisions, winning his ninth Eclipse as an owner and sixth as a breeder, and fourth in a row for each.
Sovereignty collected 201 of 220 first-place votes for Horse of the Year. Forever Young came second with 17. Journalism was also among the finalists.
“It was an incredible night. An incredible year,” said Michael Banahan, Godolphin’s blood supply manager. “It’s special to be recognized by peers at the Eclipse Awards. It comes down to having a great stable of horses. Sovereignty was the team captain, but we also had a lot of support from our European horses. It was a super year.”
Sovereignty came first with 220 out of 221 votes for a 3-year-old male with one abstention.
Mott accepted the Horse of the Year trophy on behalf of Godolphin and passed on his gratitude to be part of the Godolphin team.
“I cannot express how proud I am to receive this award. It is meaningful for the entire Godolphin team. What Sheikh Mohammed has done to race here and around the world, and to be part of winning his first Kentucky Derby and another Horse of the Year, is simply unimaginable and inexplicable.”
Godolphin also took home trophies for the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile presented by PDJF winner Notable Speech as the outstanding turfman.
“It’s incredible to receive the collective owner-breeder award. It means our stable is in good health,” Banahan said. “We have many great horses that have won the highest stakes in all categories and that is the most important thing for us. They are all home-bred horses, so our staff has them from the beginning until the beginning of their racing careers.”
Last year’s Horse of the Year, Thorpedo Anna, could not match the standard of excellence she achieved in 2024, but with four wins in six starts and two Grade 1 stakes scores for trainer Ken McPeek, the now retired daughter of Fast Anna added the Eclipse Award for outstanding older dirt male to her resume.
“She had a constant desire to run and combined with her competitiveness it made her a thrill to watch and be a part of… Our daughters grow up and leave home and you hope they succeed. We are very happy with how Thorpedo Anna has turned out,” said Judy Hicks, the filly’s breeder and co-owner with Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings, Magdalena Racing and Mark Edwards.
The evening’s international flavor was spiced up when Forever Young was chosen over Sierra Leone as the best older dirt male after his only American start, a half-length victory in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“I am truly honored to receive this award and would like to express my gratitude to everyone in the United States,” said Yoshito Yahagi, who trained Real Steel’s son for owner Susumu Fujita.
The Japanese superstar’s victory in the Classic was also named the sport’s Moment of the Year.
New Jersey’s breeding industry got a boost when the Garden State-bred Book’em Danno received the trophy as champion male sprinter.
“How about the Jersey-bred one!” said owner Jay Briscione. “To be a champion you need a lot of luck and desire and a great horse, and we had all three of those.”
Owned by Atlantic Six Racing and trained by Derek Ryan, the son of Bucchero won four of five starts in 2025, highlighted by a season win in the Forego Stakes.
Spendthrift Farm’s Ted Noffey was rewarded for a perfect junior season, dominating the voting for champion 2-year-old male. Trained by Into Mischief’s son Todd Pletcher, named after a tweet that swapped the first letters of Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey’s name, he was 4-for-4 with three Grade 1 stakes wins, capped by a score in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by TAA. He received 218 of the 220 first-place votes cast.
After achieving high marks in his career in terms of wins and earnings, Flavien Prat received a second consecutive Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey. The French native ended 2025 with more than $40 million in North American earnings, less than $40,000 behind Irad Ortiz Jr.
“It’s worth it,” Prat said of his second Eclipse. “I am very satisfied. I have had the opportunity to ride good horses all season. I certainly thought it was a good season.”
See the list below for the full Eclipse Award winners with vote totals.
The evening began with a video tribute to legendary Hall of Fame coach D. Wayne Lukas, who passed away on June 28 at the age of 89. The ceremonies noted how many Eclipse Award winners Lukas trained in that category.
Starter Bob Duncan and track announcer Trevor Denman received special Eclipse Awards and the late journalist and historian Edward Bowen was honored with the Eclipse Award of Merit.
In voting that closed on January 1, 2026, Eclipse Awards voters cast their votes to rank the top three horses and individuals in each championship division according to a 10-5-1 points system.
This vote determined the top three finalists in each division, whose names were released on January 4, 2026.
The figures below represent only first place votes of members of the consolidated voting entities, NTRA, Daily Race Form, and national turf writers and broadcasters.
Voter participation rate: 220/240 = 92%
(Name, first place votes)
Horse of the Year
Sovereignty, 201; Forever Young, 17; Ted Noffey, 2.
Two year old male
Ted Noffey, 218; Further delay, 1; Gstaad, 1.
Two-year-old filly
Super runner, 146; Cy Fair, 49; Discover, 10; Tommy Jo, 4; Mythical, 3; Bella Ballerina, 2; Percy’s Bar, 2; Zany, 2; Balantina, 1; abstention of voters, 1.
Three year old male
Sovereignty, 219; abstention of voters, 1
Three-year-old filly
Nitrogen, 183; Shisospicy, 24; Gezora, 5; Fiona, 2; La Cara, 2; Clicquot, 1; Good cheer, 1; Kilwin, 1; Luscious lips, 1.
Older dirt man
Forever young, 117; Sierra Leone, 50; Nysos, 24; Mind frame, 9; Savagery, 6; Book them Danno, 1; Touchuponastar, 1; voter abstentions, 2.
Older dirty woman
Thorpedo-Anna, 171; Scilla, 33; Splendor, 9; Cavalieri, 2; Hoop Road, 1; Copy, 1; Seismic Beauty, 1; voter abstentions, 2.
Male sprinter
Book them Danno, 115; Bentornato, 82; Nysos, 14; Patch Adams, 5; Mind frame, 1; Troubleshooting, 1; voter abstentions, 2.
Female sprinter
Shisospicy, 113; Splendor, 68; Copion, 34; Ag bullet, 1; Hoopweg, 1; Positano Sunset, 1; voter abstentions, 2.
Male grass horse
Notable speech, 115; Rebel Romance, 59; Ethical Diamond, 23; Deterministic, 17; Zulu Kingdom, 2; Carl Spackler, 1; Formidable Man, 1; Troubleshooting, 1; World beater, 1.
Female grass horse
She feels beautiful, 151; Gezora, 36; Shisopicy, 22, luscious lips, 4; Nitrogen, 4; Ag bullet, 2; Excellent truth, 1.
Steepchase horse
Cooling beam, 119; Zanahiyr, 51; Swore, 14; Proven innocent, 8; Abaan, 6; Phil Dor, 1; Historic Heart, 1; abstentions of voters, 20.
Owner
Godolfin, 206; Wasteful Farm, 7; Eclipse thoroughbred partners, 2; Bruno Schickedanz, 2; Susumu Fujita, 1; Klaravich Stables, 1; abstention of voters, 1.
Breeder
Godolfin, 212; WinStar Farm, 2; Aaron and Marie Jones, 1; Calumet Farm, 1; Don Alberto Corporation, 1; Northern Racing, 1; Tanma Corporation, 1; abstention of voters, 1.
Trainer
Bill Mott, 85; Brad Cox, 50; Chad Brown, 40; Todd Pletcher, 21; Bob Baffert, 13; Steve Asmussen, 3; Jamie Ness, 2; Mark Casse, 1; Christophe Clement, 1; Michael Maker, 1; Brendan Walsh, 1; Henry Walters, 1; abstention of voters, 1.
Jockey
Flavien Prat, 152; Irad Ortiz Jr., 52; John Velázquez, 6; Junior Alvarado, 5; Jose Ortiz, 3; Kendrick Carmouche, 1; Tyler Gaffalione
Student Jock
Pietro Moran, 128; Yedsit Hazlewood, 55; Christopher Elliott, 26; voter abstentions, 11.
#Sovereignty #crowned #Horse #Year #headline #Resolute #Racing #Eclipse #Awards